I read it, could it be true? I mean they would really have a windows 9 started already!? win8 is just out.

It's entirely possible that they are working on Windows 9 now, but I wouldn't bother taking any of this information as fact. There is plenty of time for Microsoft to completely change everything if they wanted.

They better not cave to the clueless and put the start button back, or if they do make it not on by default.

I think "caving to the clueless" is a bit strong, but I agree that now that Micrsoft have chosen to lose it they should stick to their guns. There are plenty of 3rd party solutions for those of us that use the Start Menu.

The whole reason MS implemented Win 8 Metro style is to cater to the growing number of attention deficit children and adults. Large pictures/tiles of your apps, some of them changing real time just to keep your attention on the screen.

When it comes to productivity and efficiency... Win 8 is a whole different story....